In 5 Years Time
by gem9797
Summary: 5 Years after Haley left they all meet again. Will Haley reveal her darkest secrets? Will Nathan and the rest forgive her? And can they all get back to how they should've been and finally be happy? Please Read and Review?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all. So this is my new story. I know some of you are still waiting for me to update Loving You. I'm going to be very honest and say it will be a while. I have sadly lost my inspiration for the story, however I will not leave the story like that! I will finish it! Anyway onto this story, the idea just came to me. I have the next few chapters planned and I am hoping to update every week, that may change from time to time. If you have ANY questions, feel free to ask! Anyway hope you enjoy!**

**Little Bit of Background Info.**

Haley left to go on tour with Chris in season two. 5 years later and she returns. Jake and Peyton are together, jenny lives with Nicki at the moment. Lucas and Brooke have been going out since the beginning of college. None of the Peyton/Lucas/Brooke love triangle happened. Lucas took Haley's leaving very hard and therefore started to turn on her. He has a lot of anger towards her. Nathan and Rachel got together in the past year.

**1**

She sat alone; the soft wind blew strands of her honey blonde hair around her face. She shivered slightly. _I knew I should have brought a jacket._ As she sat looking out at the ocean the tears began to fall. It started as one small tear escaped her right eye. She quickly brushed it away with her hand however it was soon replaced with many more. Eventually she gave up on trying to stop them fall. They cascaded down her cheeks as she finally let herself go and her emotions took over. All the pain and regret. Everything she couldn't take back. Everything she wished would've happened, should've happened took control of her mind and body and it was too much to keep in. after what seemed like hours but was only a matter of minutes she managed to compose herself. She took deep breaths and wiped away the remaining traces of her tears. Once she thought she looked halfway decent she made her way back to her car. Although she didn't plan on seeing anyone she knew if she still looked a mess she would feel like one too. Once in the car, she decided it was best to take the long way back to her hotel to avoid any more almost run ins with people she didn't particularly want to talk to and also to avoid anymore 'surprises'. She had only been in tree hill for the best part of 5 hours and she was already wondering if it was a mistake coming back. Her mind once again travelled back to the events that led her to the beach only an hour ago.

"_Hales! You want room service?" Neil walked out the bathroom after not receiving an answer. He walked over to Haley who was sitting on her bed staring at the wall. He snapped his fingers infront of her eyes to try and get her attention. "Haleyyyyyyyyy"_

_Finally Haley snapped out of her daze._

"_Oh sorry Neil, I was just dreaming. What did you want?"_

"_You want something off of the room service menu? I was thinking mac n cheese" he nudged Haley teasingly._

"_Eh do you know what, you go ahead. I'm going to take a drive. I know a place I can get something."_

"_Okay, do you want me to come?"_

"_Nah I think I need to be alone right now." With that Haley quickly left the hotel room only stopping to grab her cell, keys and purse._

_As Haley drove the familiar streets of tree hill memories flooded her. She passed the park where she would play as a little girl, the river court where she would hang with Lucas and the other guys, then finally her desired destination. Karen's café. She had hoped it wouldn't be too busy; she didn't want to talk to anyone. She just wanted to check that Karen was okay and see how much things had changed. She parked the car round the corner from Karen's and started to walk towards the café. She stopped just outside and looked in. the sight she saw broke Haley's heart. _

_A table full of people were laughing and talking. They all wore bright smiles and looked like they were so close they would could never be separated. Haley knew better. She knew these people as her former friends. She used to be part of that tight knit group, most of the tie she was the one that held it all together. But many things had changed. Haley looked closer through the window and started to analyse the scene before her. Her long time, childhood friend Lucas was sitting next to Brooke. A bright bubbly girl Haley had become friends with. They had become very close but that all changed. Then there was Peyton who was sitting on the lap of Jake. She knew they loved each other and had found out that after high school Jake had moved to tree hill and go to college nearby with Peyton. Next to them she saw some of her childhood friend's mouth and skills. Both looked more muscular and grown up but every other thing looked the same. Who she saw next was what broke her heart the most. Nathan Scott her ex-husband, her first and only love and the man that broke her heart. He was sitting in the booth laughing with the rest of the group. A red head that was showing way too much cleavage for Haley's taste was on his lap laughing with him. She was stroking his arm and he was playing with her hair. Then he pulled her in for a kiss. At this moment Haley had to look away._

_It was at this moment that Haley felt her heart racing and knew what was going to happen next if she didn't calm herself down. After the incident panic attacks happened often to Haley and normally she had Neil there to help her, but now she had no one and after witnessing what she saw in the café she felt more alone than ever. She ran to her car and started driving to the one place she hoped would make her feel better. _

When she entered the hotel room Neil was sprawled on the couch drinking a beer and watching the TV.

"Don't you have your own room?" Haley plopped down on the seat next to him and sighed.

"I do but I got bored and thought I would wait for you to come back. Did you get something to eat?"

"Nah change of plans."

"Great cause I just ordered ice cream and cake. Had a feeling you might need some, being back here and all"

"Do you think this is the right thing? Coming back?"

"It's not like you had a choice. You weren't safe in New York anymore. And Angela's here. You know the deal. Plus maybe you could try it again. Find inspiration?"

"No. I can't. I haven't since I left here and I'm not ready to start. I just need some time to figure things out again. I know that it's going to be hard and I'm going to have to face the past at some point but I just needed to know I did the right thing. I just hope this place can save me."

"It will Haley, just give it time" he and Haley embraced in a hug before settling down to watch the film.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello guys! This is chapter 2! So I have been writing over the last couple of days and I'm nearly finished chap4 so… because I'm further ahead than I thought then I am willing to post chap3 sooner than I originally planned. So the more reviews I get for this the quicker I will post chap3. Anyways. Hope you enjoy it! P.s thanks for the reviews and yes this is definitely Naley! : ) any questions feel free to ask.**

**2**

The next day Neil decided to drag Haley to Karen's café for a late breakfast. Haley at first refused to go but finally gave in as she knew she would. Neil was always very determined at once he set his mind to something he wouldn't give it up. Haley just hoped that they wouldn't run into anyone she knew there. Neil knew all about her past and was angry at her so called friends for what they did to her. However both Haley and Neil didn't know how little the group knew of the event that happened years ago which led Haley's life down a lonely and dangerous path.

The café was moderately quite as most of the customers had now left. Haley and Neil sat at a small table in the corner of the café surrounded by the windows. They both ordered coffee and something to eat. Neil chose a fry up and Haley chose an omelette with a side of toast. Being in the cafe brought up many childhood memories for Haley and soon she and Neil were in a deep conversation about their childhoods. Soon they finished their meal and coffee but they were enjoying themselves too much to just leave so Haley suggested another cup of coffee. Haley gathered up their cups and headed towards the counter. As she waited to get served she heard the door open and a chorus of laughter follow. She recognised the laughter immediately and began to panic. _Maybe if I keep my head down they won't notice me._

From their table Neil noticed Haley tense up and looked around to see what could have caused it. His gaze fell on the group of young adults chatting away to each other, seating themselves at a booth on the opposite side of the café. He recognised them immediately from pictures Haley had shown him. He sprang into action and made his way to the counter. He put his hand on Haley's shoulder to relax her. She slowly looked up at him. Terror shone through her eyes.

"Come on lets go" he whispered in her ear. She only nodded in response. They turned to leave but walked straight into Nathan and the red head,

"Watch it bitch" she spat the words out at Haley. Haley only looked down and muttered an apology.

Nathan was standing shell shocked. He looked the girl up and down. Was this his Haley? It couldn't be. Was it?

"Haley?" the word came out a whisper, not what he wanted.

Haley just looked up at him with her big brown eyes. That's when he knew it was her. Neil tried to grab Haley and lead her out but was blocked by Lucas and Brooke now standing in front of them. Lucas looked surprised but Brooke looked downright pissed.

"Please do not tell me you are actually here" Brooke snapped, anger radiating from her.

"I…..uh-" Haley started to speak but was interrupted by the whole group now shouting at her.

"Why are you here?"

"Why the hell did you come back?"

"Did you really think you could just leave for 5years with no contact then come back acting like nothing happened?"

"You make me sick"

"You should just leave"

All the shouting and crowding round her made Haley panic. Her breathes became shallow and she had somehow become separated from Neil. The room became smaller and smaller and she knew she had to leave now. She pushed her way through the group staggering to the door and out onto the street. She started running, anywhere she could, she just needed to feel the air on her skin and calm down.

Neil was about to go after Haley when he turned to the group who seemed not to care about Haley's exit.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE!" he yelled at them. Only some seemed slightly bothered by this.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves" he snarled. He turned to leave but Peyton's voice stopped him.

"Why should we be she's the one that left."

"You've got to be kidding me! You know what happened to her! You knew! She needed her friends!" he turned and looked Nathan in the eye "her family! She needed support and help. But no you turned your backs on her! You let her suffer! All because she wanted to follow her dreams, which can I add she never did. After the accident she shut herself off from EVERYTHING! You could have helped her. You SHOULD have helped her. But you let your pride get in the way. I'll tell you this…..her life has been a living hell because not one of you tried to help her. And THAT is why you should be ashamed." With that Neil turned and left in search of Haley, leaving some very confused, emotional and shocked people behind.

**There ya go! Big reveal in the next chapter about what happened all those years ago. Don't forget to review! Xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay guys here is chapter 3. This is a long one and reveals a bit about what happened after Haley left for the tour. Hope you enjoy! Thanks to all who reviewed! Keep doing it : )**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with one tree hill. (sadly)**

**3**

"What do you think he was talking about? You know 'the accident'" Brooke asked a now silent group.

"Who cares, probably just more lies, right honey?" Rachel replied stroking Nathans arm.

"I uh don't…don't….. I'm going to get some air" with that Nathan quickly ran out of the café, sat on the step and buried his face in his hands.

"I'm going to look for her." Peyton spoke up, causing everyone to turn and look at her.

"Why?" Lucas' voice was soft but you could hear the irritation.

"I wanna know what happened"

"We know what happened Peyton!" Lucas' voice rose. "She left to go on that tour without even a goodbye to anyone, including her husband. Then she called saying she was having too good of a time that she wasn't going to come back. That she wanted to forget her life in tree hill because all she had done here is make mistakes. And we were not to go after her because she wanted nothing to do with us either. And the worst part was she couldn't even say it to Nathan. She told his father! And then she happily signed the divorce papers which she told Dan she wanted ASAP. That's what happened Peyton. She just wants to seem like the victim so she's making up all this rubbish about nothing!" Lucas turned on his heels and stormed out the café.

"I still want to talk to her" Peyton whispered.

Jake put his hand on her shoulder and gently spoke. "Why, Peyt, why do you need to speak to her?"

"Something's not right" Brooke spoke before Peyton had the chance. "I can feel it too. Let's go Peyt."

Peyton kissed Jake on the cheek and left the café with Brooke in search of Haley. Jake got himself a cup of coffee to go and left looking for Nathan and Lucas. Rachel was left by herself in the café looking very angry.

* * *

Haley was sitting under a tree in Hillside Park when Peyton and Brooke spotted her. She was looking in the direction of the playpark with Neil at her side. He was stroking her arm obviously trying to soothe her. They both tensed up as they saw the girls approaching. Haley motioned for Neil to leave and after some resistance he finally did. Brooke and Peyton shared a look and hesitantly sat in front of Haley who kept her gaze on the play park. After a few moments of silence Haley finally spoke.

"What do you want" she was determined not to break down again and although her voice shook she was successful in making it sound stern.

"We uh wanted to talk to you about something Neil said at the cafe" Peyton spoke softly.

"I knew his rant would come back and bite me in the ass. What do you want to know? Need another reason to shout at me?" Haley snapped back.

Brooke and Peyton both shared a guilty look.

"Look hales were sorry about that it's just you really hurt us all when you left and then you just came back and seeing you after all this time brought up some unresolved feelings but that's not the point. Neil said something about an accident that kind of changed your life. What did he mean by that" Brooke asked uneasily.

Haley visibly shuddered at the thought of the accident but that then turned to anger.

"Are you really asking me that question! You know! You know about the accident and you didn't care! No one did. So let's just leave it at that!" the tears were now flowing freely down Haley's face. She stood up and turned to leave when Peyton stopped her.

"Haley…..please….please… I don't know what you are talking about! Tell us! Help us understand." The tone of Peyton's voice made Haley reconsider.

"The night I left for the tour, it didn't seem right but I just ignored those feelings. Mainly because I thought of what this could do for me. So I left, I was going to call but Chris managed to talk me out of it claiming that Nathan would probably want time to calm down" she shuddered at the thought. "Anyway the next night after I performed I realised it wasn't going to be the same unless I had Nathan. So I decided to leave the tour. Chris was pissed but Neil was supportive. He gave me his car and said he would come get it once the tour had finished. I don't know if you remember but there was a storm that night. I was driving at the normal limit but it was raining to heavy and I had been crying which blurred my vision. Suddenly a car came speeding at me and before I had the chance to react it crashed into me and I blacked out." Peyton and Brooke gasped in response.

"The car was flipped a few times before it fell into the river. When the rescue team managed to get me out I had stopped breathing. They managed to resuscitate me and took me to hospital. Because I had no ID on me as it was washed away in the river the called Neil because the car was registered as his. He and Chris came to the hospital immediately. I was in a coma for three weeks due to the many injuries I suffered."

"After about a week Neil thought they should phone Nathan and you guys, Chris was hesitant at first but then agreed it was probably for the best. Anyway when he phoned Dan apparently answered and said that everyone was over there with Nathan. Chris told him about the accident and asked to speak to Nathan. Dan said he would call back and went to talk to Nathan. When he did phone back he said that Nathan and all of you didn't care about the accident. That you thought I deserved it for leaving you all and that if I did wake up then you didn't want me to contact them. They wanted to live their lives as separate as possible." Haley was now in tears when she reached this point in the story.

"Then to finish it off Dan said Nathan would send divorce papers when Haley woke up and that he wanted them signed ASAP. When I woke up Neil told me what happened and I basically broke down. The doctors had to sedate me and things became a little rough for me after that. I made some really bad choices that could have ruined my life, nearly did but Neil helped me through them and now here I am, trying to live a better life." When Haley finished she completely broke down In Peyton's and Brookes arms, who were now crying as well.

"Haley, that can't be what, happened" Brooke finally spoke after they composed themselves.

"Are you seriously saying I'm lying? Of course you are anything to stop you from feeling bad from leaving me in that hospital with people I hardly knew."

"Haley, about a week after you left, we all stayed at Nathan's house to try and comfort him. We heard the phone ring and later on Dan came through. He told us that it was you. That you were enjoying yourself too much and that you weren't coming back under any circumstances. That you wanted nothing more to do with us and that we were not to try and contact or look for you. He then told us you thought everything that happened here was a mistake and that you wanted a divorce as soon as possible. We asked why you didn't tell us that and he told us that it was because hearing your voices would only make you more sure of your choice and that you didn't want to have to say that to us. "

"But that's…that…I didn't say that! I couldn't say that! I was unconscious for god's sake!" Haley screamed.

"Guys… maybe Dan and Chris set this up…..they both didn't like you and Nathan's relationship. It makes sense. Doesn't it?" Brooke asked timidly.

"Those Bastards!1"peyton yelled. "We need to tell Nathan!"

"Don't"

Peyton and Brooke turned to Haley looking completely shocked.

"What?"

"Don't tell him. Don't tell anybody. He seems happy now…with Rachel"

As much as the words hurt she had to say them.

"Just let them be happy. This will only hurt Nathan. And I can't deal with it. The whole thing led me to do some pretty awful things. I don't want him finding out. Please?" Haley's voice shook.

"Hales what did you do?" Brooke asked scared of the answer.

"I can't tell you right now. I'm not ready. Maybe one day though. Please just trust me? Please don't tell anyone." Haley begged.

"Okay we'll stay quiet. But hales this is going to come out somehow. With you being back people are going to talk about what happened. Someone's bound to figure it out." Peyton spoke seriously.

"I know. I just need time."

Brooke and Peyton nodded and then enveloped Haley in a hug, quietly promising to keep Haley's secret just that… a secret.

**Hope you enjoyed! The more reviews I get the quicker chapter 4 will be put up ; ) thanks for reading xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the great reviews! Here's the next chapter. Not too much drama in this one, it's more of a filler chapter. I'm going away on holiday soon so I will try and post the next chapter before then. Okay so hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**4**

"so man, what do you think he was talking about?" lucas asked Nathan.

"I dunno know man but quite frankly I don't care. We did nothing but what she wanted. She's just trying to stir up trouble." Nathan replied coldly.

"Yeah but Haley did seem quite strange and he was definitely serious."

"What can I say she was always a believable actor. I mean she got me to believe she loved me! And him! He probably took lessons from her!" Nathan snapped.

"She did love you Nate" Lucas said sincerely.

"Then why did she leave?" with that Nathan stormed off.

Walked over and sat on the benches at the river court. He was broken out of his daydream by girl's voices. He turned around and saw Brooke, Peyton and Haley all walking together talking. He jumped off the bench and walked towards them suddenly pissed.

"Oh so are you all the best of friends again" he said sarcastically.

"Luke" Brooke scolded him. "Stop it"

"Are you kidding me! This morning you hated her guts and now you're all friends again! Did she reel you in with a stupid little sob story about how hard it is being on tour and how she wasn't really happy. Because if she did you should know it's all a lie."

"LUCAS!" Peyton shouted.

"It's okay. Lucas I didn't mean to hurt you" Haley spoke quietly with a soft tone.

"Ha! You think I'll believe that! We were **best **friends Haley. Didn't that mean anything to you? We stuck by each other. We promised to be friends forever and you just turned your back and walked away without even a goodbye. Didn't you think of me Haley? Didn't you think of how it would hurt? I'm done now Haley. Done with thinking of you, of worrying about you. Done with our 'friendship'. Done with you."

When he was finished Haley turned and started walking away. She muttered to Brooke and Haley something about being alone and then broke into a run. She ignored Peyton's and Brookes calls and isolated herself from the outside world.

As she rounded a corner she bumped into none other than Rachel. She quickly wiped the tears away and went to go around her but she wasn't having it. Rachel grabbed Haley's wrist and gave it a very hard squeeze.

"Listen bitch" she spoke in a very low threatening tone. "I don't know why you came back but if it was to get Nathan back then it's NOT going to happen understand! He's with me now and we are happy. So don't even try it. Whatever this whole sob story thing is I'm not buying it and neither will he. Just stay away from him. He doesn't want you anymore." She let go of Haley's wrist and indicated her to move but quickly grabbed her shoulder and whispered menacingly in her ear. "I'll be watching you bitch. And if you go near him I swear to god I will hurt you. More than everyone who had hurt you combined." She pushed Haley away and started walking again.

"I doubt that's possible" Haley muttered before also resuming her walk.

Neil was in his hotel room on the phone when Haley entered.

"Yeah….I understand… where abouts?...okay I will be there as soon as possible… okay bye." He turned to face Haley.

"What's going on?" she asked nervously.

"I have to leave for a wee bit." He bit his lip anticipating her next question.

"Why?"

"My mom, she's ill and the family need some help looking after her, and I can't turn them down. I won't be long, maybe two weeks at most!" he looked at a heart broken Haley.

"So you're leaving me here?"

"Yes but not for long. You'll be okay hales." He ran and gave her a big hug.

"When do you leave?" she whispered into his shoulder.

She felt him tense up before he answered.

"Now."

Haley pulled away tears brimming in her eyes.

"I can't do it Neil! What if it happens again?"

He pulled her in for another hug.

"Nothing's going to happen Haley. Just stay away from them, avoid temptation. You are strong enough to do this. I have to go now."

"Okay" she whispered.

Neil let go of her and kissed her forehead.

"Stay strong and stay away hales."

Haley watched as he left the hotel room before she let the tears fall. She collapsed to the ground hugging herself. Everything that had happened that day was running through her head. The way Nathan looked at her, how everyone shouted at her, revealing part of her secret to Brooke and Peyton, lucas disowning her, threats from Rachel and Neil, the one person who kept her strong enough to survive, had left her all alone.

All this was too much for Haley. She stood up and made her way to her suitcase. She flipped it open and began looking for the secret compartment. Once she located it she pulled out a bottle of pills. She looked at them for a while before pouring some into her shaking hand. She looked at them for a while longer before swallowing them dry. She made her way to her bed and flopped down on it.

"Sorry Neil, I couldn't stay away" she softly murmured before falling into a deep sleep.

**Did you like it? Let me know what you think! Xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay guys. I am going away for a week and I don't know when I will have time to write the next chapter so I had an inner battle with myself whether to give you this chapter in two parts or one. But I decided just to give you it all and write the next chap as soon as I could. Anyway I hope you enjoy and once again thank you all for the reviews! They mean a lot and really encourage me to keep writing so please review!**

**5**

The next couple of days Haley stayed in her hotel room. She would answer Neil's calls as happily as she could and make up a story about what she did that day like shopping or going to a spa. In reality she sat on her bed, stared at the wall and took another pill as soon as she felt depressed again. She kept saying to herself she wouldn't let it go too far like last time. She was only taking a few pills and was going to be in complete control. Even though she knew she was lying to herself she kept up the charade as it was something for her to focus on.

Haley was broken out of her trance by her phone ringing. She was confused as Neil normally called at night but it was only 3 in the afternoon.

"Hello?" she answered as cheerily as possible.

"Well doesn't someone sound happy?" a dark voice slowly spoke.

Haley tensed up hearing the voice.

"Why….why are you calling me?" she asked, her voice shaking in fear.

"I heard your little buddy was out of town and I wondered if you fell of the wagon yet."

Haley's silence answered the question for him.

"Haha I knew it. It's a good thing I'm coming to town soon. I've got some new stuff I'll be happy to let you sample."

"Please, don't come, leave me alone, please" Haley's voice was quiet and timid.

"You were always my favourite Hales, when you left it hurt me but don't worry I'll see you soon."

"Hurt you! You know what happened to me; in fact you made it happen. You let me leave that drugged up! I hate you! Don't come near me!" she screamed into the phone before hanging up and throwing her phone at the bed. She started to panic and knew she had to calm down or the results would not be good. She quickly picked up her phone and purse and left the hotel.

Karen jumped when she saw Haley enter the café. Her hair was messed up, her face pace with tears streaming down it and her clothes were wrinkled.

"Haley honey, what's wrong?" Karen walked over to the girl and tried to comfort her but she moved away at the touch.

"I…um… looking for….Brooke…Peyton?" she barely got the words out due to the state she was in.

"I think the group planned on coming here soon. Why don't you go in the back and get cleaned up and I'll send them through when you're ready okay?" Karen tried to talk in her most soothing tone.

Haley nodded and turned to go in the back but suddenly stopped.

"Don't tell the others, please" she begged Karen.

"Okay sweetie" Karen gave the girl a slight smile before she left.

About 10 minutes later Nathan, Rachel, Lucas, Brooke, Jake and Peyton walked into the café chatting happily. They all took their places at their normal table and continued the conversation. Karen noticing the group quickly made her way over.

"Sorry to interrupt, I'll get your food soon but Peyton and Brooke could I please have a word in private." Both girls noticed Karen appeared quite flustered and quickly agreed.

"Mom is everything okay?" Luke asked worried.

Karen just nodded in response which didn't make Lucas feel much better.

"Karen? What's going on?" Brooke asked nervously.

"Just be sensitive okay, I know she hurt you both but she obviously needs you right now." Karen replied, oblivious to the reconciliation of the girls. She directed the girls towards the back where Haley was then disappeared to serve customers.

The girls hesitantly walked into the back but gasped and ran to Haley's side as soon as they saw her in a ball on the floor staring at the wall.

"Haley! What happened?" Peyton broke Haley out of her thoughts.

"He's coming" she whispered, the terror evident in her voice.

"Who is?" Brooke tried to soothe Haley.

"Rick"

"Honey I know this is hard but you need to give us some more details."

"After the accident I tried to go back to normal. I finished the tour but I never put full effort into it. I spent two years working on an album but eventually the record label dropped me saying I wasn't good enough anymore. I took it badly. Music was the only thing I had left. So I became depressed. Over the years I became addicted to prescription drugs. It wasn't too bad at first but then I couldn't go more than a few hours without taking them." At this revelation Brooke and Peyton looked at each other concerned.

"Then I met rick. He was nice at first and said he was going to help me. But his version of help was to get me addicted to stronger stuff. He always gave me a good price because he claimed I was his favourite. Then when Neil found out he tried to get me to stop but I just pushed him away. I was too addicted. I nearly overdosed at one point and that's when I tried to get away but rick wouldn't let me. He would hit me until I took them and he could always find me. Last year something happened which made me want to get away." Once again not wanting to reveal too much about her past at once, Haley remained vague about what happened. Before the girls could ask she continued her story.

"So Neil helped me. I went to rehab and then Neil brought me here. He didn't think rick would be able to find me, but he has and he said he was going to come and m scared because I know what he's capable of and I can't go through that again. It was too hard. And the worst part is that he knows I'm taking again. I couldn't help it, Neil left and I was so hurt and then all that stuff with Lucas and Rachel, I just broke down, and now I'm so vulnerable which is perfect for him. I'm just scared." Once finished her speech peyton and Brooke were left extremely shocked once again.

"Hales it's going to be okay." Brooke said reassuringly.

"Yeah, we're here for you and we're going to protect you. Lucas will get over it and whatever Rachel said doesn't matter, she's just mad you're back because she doesn't want Nathan to leave her." Peyton tried cheering Haley up.

"Speaking of, maybe we should tell the boys? They can help you hales, help protect you!" Brooke spoke up.

Haley's eyes widened at hearing this.

"No. no they can't know yet. I'm still not ready." She said panicked.

"Okay, it's okay. We won't tell. What do you want us to do in the meantime? " Peyton asked softly, trying to calm her down again.

"I don't know" Haley answered honestly. "I just needed to tell someone."

"Okay well. How about you come stay with me?" Brooke squealed as the two other girls looked on in shock. "It'll be perfect. I can look after you, keep you away from any pills, plus it'll be harder for this rick guy to find you if he does even come."

"I uh don't know if that's such a good idea Brooke."

"It is, I promise Haley, it'll be okay. Plus there's a beach party tomorrow and it'll give us a perfect chance to bond again!" Brooke's eyes brightened at the idea and Haley chuckled slightly.

"And by bond she means her dress you up" Peyton added, nudging Haley slightly.

"Okay sure. Maybe it'll help me relax" Haley finally replied, smiling slightly.

"Great! Well you go get your stuff and meet me at my house. Ok?" Brooke nearly jumped with excitement.

"Okay, sure."

The three girls walked back into the main café. Karen looked over to Haley and she nodded to say she was okay. With Brooke and Peyton either side of Haley the girls walked to the table where the boys sat. Jake immediately got up and gave Peyton a look. Peyton assured him everything was okay and gave him a kiss. Nathan was looking intently at Haley. He could tell that she had been crying but fought all the urges he had to comfort her. Brooke noticing the tension quickly spoke up.

"Sorry broody but I can't hang out later." Brooke said softly why stroking Luke's arm.

"What? Why?"

Brooke quickly looked at Haley who shook her head slightly so that only Brooke could see.

"I just have something to take care of." She responded smiling.

Lucas looked suspiciously towards the three girls then turned his attention back to Brooke.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing just girl stuff."

Brooke quickly kissed him on the cheek and left the café with the other two girls in tow.


	6. Chapter 6

**And I'm back! So come on guys! 3 reviews? I'm sure that you have at least Something to say, so even if it's a bit of constructive criticism, pleaseee review! It really helps me get inspired and write! Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**6**

It was the night of the beach party and the three girls were getting ready at Brookes. They had been chatting the whole time and Haley was starting to feel a whole lot better. She felt like she had her friends back and they were closer this time. They were also very keen on getting Haley and Nathan back together.

"Seriously tutor girl, Rach-ho has nothing on you. Nathan doesn't even like her, she's just….convenient."

"And you know this for a fact?" Haley questioned Brooke.

"Well no, but you can definitely tell! Right Peyt?"

"Right. Rachel's just a long term rebound girl."

"I dunno, he seems happy with her"

"But that's the thing! We can tell he's not happy. We're around him all the time. He was only happy with you!"

"Still it's not like I can do anything about it. Rachel made sure I knew that"

"Who cares about her? She can't do anything."

"Yeah she's harmless."

"Just talk to Nate tonight. You have to."

"Okay, I'll try"

"Great!" Brooke cheered. "And you look totally hot now too. This night is going to be amazing!"

It was an hour later when the girls reached the party. Peyton was first to get out of the car along with a very excited Brooke. Haley waited a couple more minutes before slowly stepping out of the vehicle glancing around at her surroundings. There were people running all up and down the beach, screaming and cheering, downing whatever liquid was in their colourful plastic cups. A massive bonfire lit up the main part of the beach where most people seemed to be. She suddenly noticed Brooke and Peyton were no longer at the car but running up the beach, most likely to get some drinks before they ran out. The sight made Haley chuckle. Although they were going into their fourth year of college at the end of the summer they were acting as though they were reckless teenagers again. Haley smiled at the thought.

She finally summoned the courage to go into the crowd of people. She made her way over to the refreshments and downed a cup of clear liquid. She wasn't sure what it was but she instantly got a buzz. Haley grabbed another cup and made her way through the people, searching for her friends. I t was then that she saw an outline of Nathan down by the ocean by himself. She drank from her cup, building up the courage to speak to him then slowly started approaching him.

"Nathan, can we talk? Please" Haley said timidly.

"There's nothing to talk about Haley. You should go."

"Please Nathan; I **need** to talk to you. Help you understand" she said pleadingly.

"Oh I understand fine. You 'loved' me enough to abandon me and say you wanted nothing to do with me."

"Nathan it wasn't like that. Let me explain. I have to explain" she placed her hand on Nathans upper arm but he quickly shrugged it off.

"Look Haley, whatever you've said to broke and Peyton I don't care because it won't work on me. I know what happened and there's nothing you can say or do that'll make it any better. So just leave me alone!" he started to walk away but Haley stopped him.

"Nathan I love you, don't leave me. I love you"

"Well I don't love you Haley so stay the hell away from me! Don't ever speak to me again. You are **DEAD **to me Haley." He screamed, and then stormed away leaving a heartbroken Haley.

Haley let the tears run down her cheeks and ran along the shore, wanting to get as far away from everybody as possible.

Nathan walked up to the group a while later and noticed Peyton and Brookes worried faces.

"Nathan! Where's Haley have you seen her?"

He rolled his eyes. "We had a fight, last time I saw her she was at the ocean."

"What did you say to her?!" Brooke yelled.

"It was nothing; she was bugging me so I said a few things to get her off my back." In truth Nathan did feel quite guilty about been so harsh towards Haley but he needed her to back off.

"This is bad Brooke" Peyton commented.

"What's the big deal anyway?" Lucas asked, slightly curious.

"The big deal is that ha-" Brooke was cut off by a piercing scream.


	7. Chapter 7

**Yes guys! That's what I'm talking about! Thank you for the brill reviews! Keep it up! Here's the next chap for you. It's quite rushed but I really wanted to get it out for you all!**

The group ran to the voice with everyone else to see what it was. They ran along the beach until they reached the massive group. Everyone was murmuring, some crying. Nathan couldn't see but tried to listen to the small conversations going on.

"Who would do that?"

"Is she alive?"

"Who is it?"

"I think it's that Haley girl"

At the mention of Haley's name Nathan pushed himself through the crowd followed by the rest of his group. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her. He couldn't see much because of the man crouching next to her but he could see the outfit she looked beautiful in earlier was now ripped and dirty. He heard Brooke gasp and Peyton cry out and immediately snapped out of his trance. He ran to her and pushed the guy out of the way. He looked at her closely.

Her hair was a tangled mess with dirt and blood in it. Her faces had many scratches and cuts. Her lip was bust and swollen and her left eye was turning a purple colour and swelling up. Her arms had bruises and cuts scattered all over. Her stomach was revealed due to the ripped tank top and was extremely red, starting to bruise. Her legs were also cut but her right leg seemed to be in a strange position, showing it was possibly broken.

Nathan felt anger swelling up at whoever did this to his Haley but he ignored it and focused on getting her help. He looked around and the crowd had become smaller.

"I'm taking her to the hospital" Nathan spoke.

"I already call-"

"I don't care I'm taking her."

With that Nathan took Haley in his arms and ran to his car. He gently placed Haley in the backseat and sped off to the hospital. He heard her whimper and thanked god she wasn't dead however he soon remembered she was probably suffering with pain and put his foot on the gas pedal again.

* * *

When he pulled into the hospital they were already waiting with a stretcher. He picked up Haley and gently placed her on while telling everyone who touched her to be careful. Once he watched them wheel her away he sank to the floor, finally letting his emotions take over him. He punched the ground hard before crying into his hands.

A few moments later he was pulled up and led into the hospital by a sombre Lucas. Once they asked the nurse where Haley was they were led to the appropriate waiting room. Nathan stayed silent for several moments before finally talking.

"It's my fault Luke"

"Did you do it?"

"What?! Of course not! I could never hurt Haley like that."

"Well then it's not your fault."

"But if I hadn't of argued with her, she would be okay!"

"You don't know that. She wanted us back together Luke! I turned her down; I said I didn't love her anymore. I…I….I told her she was dead to me" tears started rolling down his cheek again.

"Why Nate, we all know that you've never stopped loving her. Why would you lie like that?" Lucas was trying to keep his composure.

"Because I was scared she would leave me again."

"Do you really think that would happen?"

"No, but now I'll never know, because she hates me and she'll never forgive me! Or what if she dies Luke! What will I do then!?"

As Nathan was about to break down again Peyton, Jake and broke walked into the emergency room.

"How is she?"

"Where is she?"

"Have you heard anything?" all three spoke at once.

Nathan couldn't speak so Lucas stepped in.

"The last we heard she was going to surgery but that was about an hour ago, no one has spoken to us since"

"She's going to be okay right?" Brooke asked timidly.

Nobody replied. Lucas got up and hugged Brooke while Peyton was grasping onto jakes hand, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. Nathan looked between the two couples and could no longer hold it in. he stood up and stormed over to the wall punching it as hard as he could. Despite the pain he kept on punching until his knuckles were bleeding and he was being pulled away by Lucas and Nate.

"This is my entire fault!" he yelled angrily "I should have been there! ARGHHHHHHH"

He was about to start yelling again when he saw the doctor walk towards him.

"Son, is it correct you are here for Haley James?" The elder man said.

"Yeah is she okay? What's going on? Does she need blood? You can take mine! Just help her please!" Nathan rambled.

"Hey its okay, I need you to calm down. Miss James has suffered many injuries. She has 6broken ribs, her jaw has had a severe blow to it, her wrist is sprained as well as her ankle, but that shouldn't take too long to heal. Her knee has been dislocated but our main worry is the amount of blood she lost. She suffered internal bleeding which we hope has been fixed however we need to keep a very close eye on her. She is unconscious at the moment and there is no telling when she will wake up….or if she will wake up. We have done all we can, she's not in the clear yet but hopefully she will pull through. I received a call from the man on her emergency contact form, Neil. He was the one that gave permission for you to find out this information. He is on his way as I need to discuss some things with him. I would greatly appreciate it if you told him where to go as I need to speak with him as soon as possible."

"Is everything okay?" Jake asked worried.

"It should be." With that the doctor walked away.

Nathan had now sat on the chair letting the shock take over him. His Haley was fighting for her life and he couldn't do anything to help her. Never before had he felt so useless. Brooke's voice brought him back to reality once again.

"What does he need to talk to Neil about?"

"Do you think it's to do with what happened you know, before?" Peyton asked Brooke quietly but not quite enough.

"What happened?!" Nathans voice boomed.

"Nate we can't say, I'm sorry."

"Yes you damn well can say!"

"Maybe I can help" the group turned around to see Neil standing a few feet away. "Maybe we should all take a seat."

* * *

The group all sat down together, everyone faced Neil. He started to tell Haley's story. He started recounting events, stopping whenever Nathan had to punch something or someone had a question. Although the girls had already heard the story they were interested to hear it from Neil's point of view. Neil finally stopped when it got up to what the girls had been told by Haley.

"I can't believe this!" the anger was pouring from Nathan, not at Haley but at himself and Dan and Chris for putting her in those situations. For not helping her and protecting her. For not saving her from herself until it was almost too late to be saved.

"No" was all Lucas could say. He was hunched in his chair fingers running through his hair. He hated himself for not being there for his best friend.

Jake just sat in shock. Unable to speak. Everything they had thought about Haley in the past 5 years was wrong. Every time they spoke badly about her she didn't deserve it. Every time they criticised her for following her dream she was doing the opposite. He felt sick to his stomach.

"There's one last thing you need to know." Neil finally spoke up.

"Please no, don't say that, I can't hear anymore" Nathan now had tears threatening to fall.

"One night Rick got Haley pretty high. She was too far gone to object and just accepted anything her would give her. That included alcohol. She said she wanted to go home so one o Ricks henchmen offered to walk her to her car. When the got to the alley the guy stopped and started beating her. She was too weak to fight back or cry for help. He continued to hit her then proceeded to…. To…." It never got any easier for Neil to tell this story. "He raped her then left her, cold and alone. A group of girls were leaving the club when they found her and took her to the hospital. She was in a bad way. She's been going to counselling sessions ever since. That's why she's here. She was told that it was time to face the past and hopefully that would help her move on to the future. I need to talk to the doctor because there is a possibility that this attack may have aggravated her old injuries that are still healing. He needed me to bring her medical documents. I'll give you guys some time to process this. I know it's a lot and it's hard to know but maybe it'll help you understand."

Neil walked away leaving the whole group behind in tears.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to review! :D **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey all! Well first of all THANK YOU for all the reviews. My smile got bigger each time I read them! I also want to thank anyone who is following this story or listed it as their favourite! I hope you like this chapter. 3 **

* * *

"She never….never told…..us…that" Brooke spoke between tears.

"She's been through so much, GOD! Why wasn't I there?" Lucas yelled in frustration. Brooke and he were clinging to each other. Peyton and Jake had gone for a walk around the hospital grounds to try and calm down. Nathan had said nothing. Once Neil had gone he leaned over in his chair and sobbed quietly but now there were none left. He sat motionless, eyes focused on the floor. Lucas had tried getting him to respond but he gave up after he discovered it was useless. He knew that the only person that could help him was Haley but she couldn't so he left him. Hoping that soon Nathan would do something. Anything. The silence from him killed Lucas; he had never seen his brother look so defeated.

"Who is here for Haley James?"

Nathans head snapped up. He moved quickly to the voice. Peyton and Jake had just arrived back and followed him with Brooke and Lucas behind. A female nurse was standing with a clipboard.

"Is everything okay?"

"Haley is now allowed visitors however no more than two at a time for this moment in time." The nurse turned and walked away.

Everyone turned to look at Nathan.

"Go, she needs you." Peyton spoke softly.

"Say hi from us buddy." Jake patted Nathans back.

* * *

Nathan took a deep breath then turned to face Haley's door. He slowly walked towards it. He stood outside for a moment then slowly opened the door. His breath caught in his throat when he saw her. She looked so small and weak on the bed that seemed to engulf her petite frame. She was hooked to different machines and Nathan let out a breath when he heard the steady beeping of her heart. He walked to her bedside pulling one of the chairs with him. Leaning over her he placed a soft kiss on her forehead, brushing the hair away from her face with his hand at the same time. He stayed in that position for a while just looking at her, taking in her beauty, even if she did have bruises and cuts all over her face. He reluctantly sat down in the chair and took her hand in his.

"Hey baby. It's me Nathan. I'm sorry. For everything. I know you probably hate me for what I said, I was out of line but I only said it because I was afraid. I love you so much it hurts hales and when you came back I knew I couldn't pretend you were just a dream. I knew I had to face you. And when I did I wasn't ready. It was so sudden I didn't know how to process it. So I snapped. But I love you Haley. More than anything on this earth. So please come back to me. I need you, more than ever. We all need you Haley. Please Haley. If you're still with me, do something, show me a sign, show me you still love me, and show me your still here. Show me!" he pleaded but nothing happened. He sighed at squeezed Haley's hand again. He placed his head on the bed by her side. "I'll be here when you wake up hales. I promise. I'm not going anywhere. Not this time. I love you." He murmured before falling asleep.

Nathan woke when he felt something move on his head. Thinking it must have been a fly or something he raised his hand to hit it. However when he swiped he came into contact with soft skin. He immediately shot up in his seat and his eyes met Haley's open ones.

"H-Haley, you're awake?" he asked, thinking it was just a dream. Haley simply nodded in reply.

"Do you want some water?" he asked again. Haley did the same as before and nodded.

He reached for the glass at the side of her bed and let her take a few sips before replacing it.

"So uh how do you feel?"

"Brooke, Peyton" was all she responded. Nathan was sure she had said it in a cold tone but just hoped it was because her throat hurt.

Without saying anything Nathan slowly left the room with his head down. When everyone saw him they rushed to him.

* * *

"How is she?"

"Is she awake yet?"

"How did she look?"

"Why are you out here?"

Nathan raised his hand to stop the questions.

"She's...um awake. She wants to see Brooke and Peyton" Nathan spoke to the floor. "I'll go find the doctor, tell him she's awake."

As Nathan started to walk away Luke ran up to him.

"Hey man, you okay?"

"It's so hard seeing her like that."

"I know but she's going to be okay, Nate"

"Even if she is it doesn't mean she'll forgive me. When I spoke to her she wouldn't speak to me, or even look me in the eye"

"Maybe she just needs time, like you did"

"But I don't want to be away from her anymore, I love her Luke, I can't lose her again!"

"And this doesn't mean you have to, just give her time."

"Yeah, look I'm going to go get some fresh air, can you go find the doctor please?"

"Sure man, just don't give up hope, okay?"

"Yeah"

Nathan returned his gaze to the floor as he walked down the hallway. Lucas watched his brother, hoping that Haley would soon forgive him because he knew, no matter what, Haley and Nathan belonged together.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review! Also I am working on a new story, I am unsure of when I will post it but keep an eye out : ) xxx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry about the long wait I have had too much going on to even think about writing! Anyway this is a very short almost filler chapter but I hope you enjoy it anyway!**

"Nathan she wants to see you"

He snapped his head up at this comment and shakily walked towards the door to haleys hospital room. He opened the door and shyly smiled at Haley. It had been 2 days since her accident. She still couldn't remember anything but she was quickly recovering.

"Hey, you wanted to see me?"

"Nate" she said with a smile then motioned to the chair next to her bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"A lot better… so I guess I should start by saying thank you-"

"Hales you don't need to do that"

"Nate you saved my life, I believe that, so thank you."

"I would do anything for you" he whispered to himself however Haley heard him. She tried to move her body more in her bed so she could face him more.

"I'm leaving Nate"

"What?!"

"There's this great recovery place in Florida, close to my family, I'm moving there un-"

"No! I let you leave once and it was the biggest mistake of my life! Please you can't leave me again!" Nathan begged, tears threating to fall from his eyes.

"I'm moving there... until I recover... then I will come back to tree hill, it is my home and I belong here, the thing is Nathan you'll be going back to college soon and you have your own life to lead, so when I leave you need to sort things out, decide how you really feel, what you really want, I love you Nathan and if you still love me when I come home then maybe we can try again, but until then live your life in a way that makes you happy, can you promise you will do that?"

"You're coming back?"

"I promise"

"Then I promise to wait for you. I would wait forever hales"

Haley wiped the tears that were falling down his cheeks with her thumb.

"You should go now, take care of yourself Nathan"

Nathan nodded and rose to his feet. Before he turned to leave he brushed Haley's hair with his hand and left a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'll see you soon Haley James" were his parting words.

Haley stroked her forehead where he had kissed her. Did she want to leave? No. but she had to. She needed to recover and she needed time for Nathan to really think about what he wanted. She would always want him and if he still wanted her they would happily be together but with all the drama recently she needed to make sure his feelings were real. Plus she needed to keep Nathan out of danger. She knew it was rick that attacked her. It was obvious. But she didn't want Nathan getting hurt. If she left hopefully things would cool down and they could be safe and happy together again.

Of course this was only wishful thinking.

**Sorry I know its dead short but oh well. Hope you enjoyed it anyway. R&R**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, I thought I'd be nice and post another update since you guys had to wait so long since the last one! Hope you like and don't forget to review! Trying to reach 55 by next week ;)**

It had been 5 weeks since Haley's conversation with Nathan. Two days after it she had been discharged from the hospital and moved in with her brother Mark, who lived in Florida. Nathan had been upset for days on end but then realised if Haley found out she would not be happy one little bit. He decided to live his life for her, wasting time away until she came home. He returned to duke and distracted himself with basketball. Since Haley's return he had more determination and he reflected this through his game. His coaches, teammates and scouts were all impressed. And so was Haley. She would watch his games on the TV praying he would win and cheering when he did. She knew that when she came home they would be together but still felt quite worried. She trusted Nathan and knew he was told about her past, but if rick came back it could cause a major rift between the two of them and that terrified her completely.

Haley was preparing to move back home. She had recovered a lot quicker than what was expected but everyone knew it was because of Nathan. Her leg still hurt if she put too much pressure on it and her wrist was tender but all that didn't matter to Haley. She just wanted to go home.

"Mark! Hurry up!"

"Jeez hales calm down I'm coming, I promise you won't miss your flight."

"I will if you keep going that slowly"

"Oh sorry if I'm taking too long carrying YOUR suitcases"

"You should be" Haley joked back.

"I'm gonna miss you, I still don't know if I want you going back there after everything that happened"

"Mark I'll be fine, I have Nathan and my friends to take care of me"

"You mean the friends that were there for you when everything happened? I know everyone in this family apologised profusely but have they?"

"Yes they have actually, wave kept in contact, it's like with Nathan, we got split up but we all love each other immensely"

"I'll believe that when I see it"

"I'll miss you big brother"

"I'll miss you too angel, stay safe"

"I promise"

They hugged for a minute until Haley slowly broke away and moved into the taxi. As it drove away she felt sad to leave her brother but she was going home, where she belonged. She just wasn't sure how the others would react to her being home, she hadn't told them she was coming yet"

* * *

"Well well this is a surprise, my son and his lovely friends here in my café" Karen joked.

"We haven't been away that long mum" Lucas retorted.

"I beg to differ. So why do I have the pleasure?"

"It's the long weekend; we finished today and start back on Wednesday." Brooke answered.

"That's brilliant, so do you want the usual?"

A chorus of yes pleases was heard.

"All right and I think I'll bring you something special as well." Karen winked then walked away.

"What's she talking about?" Peyton questioned.

"Who cares my mom just winked, eurgh"

"Awww come on broody, winking's not that bad" Brooke replied seductively in his ear.

"Okay stop right now, not here, not again!" Nathan spoke up.

"I agree" Jake said.

Both Lucas and Brooke huffed and slumped down into their seats. However they perked up when food was placed in front of them.

Nobody except Nathan paid any attention to their server.

"Oh my god" he breathed out.

"What?" Peyton asked confused until she heard Brooke squeal and turned her head.

"Haley!" Lucas shouted with joy and immediately got up and hugged her. He was followed by Jake, Peyton and Brooke however Nathan stayed in his seat frozen. His Haley was back. A huge grin spread across his face. The group separated from Haley and he got up from his seat and pulled her in for a tight hug. His head dipped and buried itself in her soft curls.

"Thank you for coming back to me" he whispered in her ear.

Haley didn't reply. She knew she didn't have to. Instead she suggested the two of them take a walk. They quickly said goodbye to their friends and made their way along the street, both comfortable not talking and just being in each other's company. However Haley suddenly broke the silence.

"So I guess we should talk?"

"Yeah"

"So…"

**Hope you liked, Naley's big heart to heart should be up soon! X**


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's the Naley heart to heart. Thanks for the reviews! Keep it up.**

"So I guess we should talk?"

"Yeah"

"So…"

"I'm sorry" they both said simultaneously.

"Um... you first" Haley said shyly.

"I'm sorry, for the way I treated you when you came back, I should have spoken to you and then I would have found out the truth." Haley went to speak but Nathan stopped her. "And I should have known that you were going through something, I once knew everything about you, you were so hurt hales I should have seen it! But I was too wrapped up in myself to care. I'm so sorry Haley."

"Nathan stop it! You have nothing to be sorry for. In all those years as my problems built up I could have tried to contact you, or anyone for that matter of fact. I kept all my problems and I let them build up and up and up. When I came here I continued to keep to myself until Brooke and Peyton caught me out. Maybe you went about things the wrong way but the truth is that I am at fault, I am to blame. Not you."

"I just hate the thought of someone hurting you like that"

"We've both been hurting, in different ways of course but still. Now we just have to move on and try to heal."

"Together?"

"I would hope so."

"I never stopped loving you Haley, there wasn't one second I didn't love you, and I was just hurt."

"I never stopped loving you either. We're always and forever right?"

"Right. So do you wanna try again? Take it slow?"

"Yeah, slowly, maybe we won't be the couple we used to be, maybe we'll be better."

"I know we will." Nathan leaned down and brushed his lips across Haley's. His arms wrapped around her small body and her arms reached up and held onto his shoulders. They kissed again; this one was deep and passionate. It held all their emotions and feelings towards the other. Once oxygen was an issue the slowly pulled away from one another; however they remained in their embrace and rested their foreheads together.

"Will you be my girlfriend Haley James?" Nathan spoke softly.

"Nothing would make me happier" they both looked into each other's eyes, smiling brightly. The love shone between the two which anyone could see. They unwrapped themselves and started walking back towards the café. Their hands were linked and both looked extremely happy. However their expressions changed when they saw someone step in front of them.

"What do you want Rachel? Another empty threat coming my way?" Haley snapped.

"No, nothing like that, I really need to speak to you, privately." Rachel glanced at Nathan but returned her focus to Haley.

"Anything that needs to be said to me can be said in front of Nathan."

"Okay, its...it's about the night you were…umm…attacked."

Both Nathan and Haley visibly tensed and Nathans grip on Haley's hand tightened.

"What about it?" Nathan growled.

"Well it could be nothing, but I know you don't know who did it, and I swear I had no idea, but I think I may have somehow helped?" Rachel was shaking with fear as Nathan looked on in anger. Haley was surprisingly calm.

"How Rachel?" Haley suddenly spoke.

"Okay well remember I was pissed at you being back and everything and this guy came up and spoke to me. He started asking questions about you, like if I knew you etc. so I bitched about you for a while. I thought he was maybe an ex-boyfriend or something so I thought I could use him to get closer to Nathan, you know, so when he asked where you were I told him about the beach party. I asked him what he was going to do and he said give you a message. I didn't think anything of it at first but then you got hurt and I never saw him again."

"I'm gonna kill him" Nathan seethed. Haley put her hand on his chest trying to calm him down.

"Em one more thing, I kinda saw him yesterday in the park, he was just sitting watching people, like he was waiting for something. When I found out you were home I thought I should let you know."

"Thanks Rachel, we'll handle it, I'll see you around" Haley quickly tried to get away before Nathan blew up at Rachel.

"Nathan breathe!"

"What does he look like?!"

"Nathan calm down first"

"No tell me now! I won't let him hurt you again."

"I know but if I tell you when you are like this then you're gonna get hurt, and that will hurt me! So calm down!"

Haley's stern tone seemed to bring Nathan back to reality. He pulled Haley into a tight hug.

"I'm going to protect you hales. I won't let him hurt you again."

"I know" Haley said softly stroking Nathans back. "I know"

**Hope you liked it! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hiya all my lovely readers! I hope you like this chapter! All Naley fluff for those of you that were craving some! And read the AN at the bottom, got a question for you all! Also tthanks to everyone reviewing/following this story! Means alot :)**

* * *

_ "I know but if I tell you when you are like this then you're gonna get hurt, and that will hurt me! So calm down!"_

_Haley's stern tone seemed to bring Nathan back to reality. He pulled Haley into a tight hug._

_"I'm going to protect you hales. I won't let him hurt you again."_

_"I know" Haley said softly stroking Nathans back. "I know"_

* * *

Two days after the talk Haley and Nathan were still working on getting their relationship back to how it was. So far things were going well, they spent time during the day and on Saturday Nathan had taken them out. They went to a very well-known restaurant and then walked down the docks and talked. When he dropped Haley off at Brooke's house she had been very gentlemanly and given her a kiss on the cheek, much to Haley's disappointment. However she understood why he did it. Both of them were scared of doing something that would hurt the other person, but Haley still thought some kissing would at least be okay.

On Sunday night they had a movie night at Nathans house. They were both cuddled up on the couch watching the film in comfortable silence until Haley finally decided to speak what was on her mind.

"What's going to happen now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well you're going back to school soon and I don't go there or anywhere for that matter but anyway the point is what's going to happen to us when you leave?"

Nathan chuckled at her ability to ramble the quietened when he saw how serious she was." I dunno hales I didn't want to think about it really"

"Why?"

"Because it means I have to think about leaving you and I that's something I don't want to do because I just got you back."

Haley looked into Nathans loving eyes and smiled." I don't want you to leave me either."

"Nothing will change, I promise. You can visit me and I'll come visit you as well.

"What will I do in the meantime?"

"I dunno, but we'll figure something out. I promise"

"Thank you Nate."

Haley decided to be brave and leaned up to kiss Nathan. He was shocked at first but the feel of her lips on his sent a million sparks through his body. When it was finished he didn't say anything but pulled Haley closer to his body and squeezed her. They stayed in their embrace throughout the night and both fell asleep on the couch.

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"Mm heyy" Haley slowly opened her eyes noticing the raven haired boy looking at her. "Watcha doing?"

"Just watching you sleep. You're beautiful."

Haley blushed and looked shyly up at Nathan. "When I'm around you I feel like a schoolgirl with her crush." She said softly slightly embarrassed.

Nathan just smiled and put a soft kiss on her lips. They both stayed there, being with each other until the doorbell rang forcing them to move. Nathan stood to answer the door while Haley rushed to the bedroom to make herself look presentable. Nathan continued to look at her retreating figure. He thought of how lucky he was to have her back and vowed to himself never to let her go again.

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**Hope you enjoyed. Now! here's the question- what do you want haley to do? Should she go to Duke with Nathan and live off campus, maybe find a job? Enroll in some classes? Or should she stay in Tree Hill? Risky for the relationship but I'm sure some drama can be built from it. Let me know what you think OR if you have any other ideas? Review or PM me. I will make final decision by the weekend and hopefullly get a chapter up by the end of it aswel! xxx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay, truth is I just couldn't stay away! I felt so bad and just wanted to UD so here I am. Now this is only short but I decided to UD this and CYHM andddd a NEW STORY... So exams have started and I won't be able to write much but hopefully you guys will get an update soon...Let me know how you like this chapter!**

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_Nathan just smiled and put a soft kiss on her lips. They both stayed there, being with each other until the doorbell rang forcing them to move. Nathan stood to answer the door while Haley rushed to the bedroom to make herself look presentable. Nathan continued to look at her retreating figure. He thought of how lucky he was to have her back and vowed to himself never to let her go again._

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"But Nathan it's the best idea!"

"No Haley it's not"

"Why then? What's wrong with it?"

"Everything, look, just accept that you are not staying here alone!"

"What's wrong with you? Yesterday you said that you didn't mind. That we would make it work no matter what!"

"Well things have changed since yesterday!"

"LIKE WHAT?!"

"LOOK HALEY JUST FACE IT! YOU ARE COMING TO DUKE WITH ME WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"

"LIKE HELL I AM!"

Haley stormed out the house slamming the door on her way.

"Damn it!" Nathan spoke softly to himself.

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After Haley stormed out she headed to the docks to clear her head. She was surprised to see Luke sitting on a nearby bench and went over to talk to him.

"Hey you" she nudged his shoulder and his eyes darted from his book to her. He gave her a heart-warming smile and greeted her with a hug.

"Hey yourself, what are you doing here, shouldn't you be spending Nathans last day with him."

"Yes but he's being an ass so I left." She huffed.

"Okay, how he being an ass?"

"Well yesterday we were talking about what would happen when he leaves, like what I would do, but he said no matter what we would make it work, then today I gave him a suggestion and he blew up at me."

"Well what was the suggestion?"

"I stay here for a couple weeks, get things sorted then move to Duke later with him."

"Oh, I don't see what's bad about that"

"me either but he went on some rant about there was no way I was staying in tree hill alone and that I HAD to come to Duke with him right away, I mean he was so understanding before but suddenly he's just flipped and I don't know why." Haley was getting upset again and realisation dawned on Lucas.

"Uh Hales... it might kinda be my fault."

"What do you mean" Haley asked completely confused.

"well um yesterday me and Nate were talking and I kinda said about how we still dint know where the guy that attacked you was and Nate might have got a bit worried about you staying in tree hill and I possibly suggested that you move when we do." Luke finished." But of course it was only a suggestion and I meant for him to talk it through with you first." He quickly added when he saw the glare Haley was giving him.

"So he wasn't being an ass just for the point of it?"

"No, all he wants is to protect you Hales, he feels like he's failed you so many times before. He doesn't want to do it again."

"He hasn't failed me" she replied softly.

"In his eyes he has, just go home, make up, and talk to him. He can't lose you again Haley."

"He won't, not over a silly fight!" she said strongly.

"Good, now go home."

"Okay thanks Luke, love you" she gave him a quick hug before sprinting in the direction of Nathans house, hoping she wasn't too late.

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**Hope you liked! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey readers, Happy New Year! I hate to do it but I have to start it on a slight negative. After posting the last chapter I was disheartend to only receive one review. While I appriciate that reviewer I was hoping for slightly more. I don't want them just to feel good about myself but reviews help me shape my story and have a feel for what you as readers are wanting/liking in the story. When getting so little reviews when I normally receive more I wonder if tou are no longer enjoying the story or have lost interest. If that is the case please let me know. I understand my chapters are short and sometiems the storyline doesn't always go the way you want but even reviews containing constructive critisicm are appriciated by me. ****Anyway rant over..**** Enjoy the chapter :)**

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Nathan had spent the time after Haley left in his back garden, sitting and staring at the basketball hoop. He heard Haley walk softly up behind him. He didn't turn to look at her but spoke anyway.

"You're always more important than basketball Haley. You know that right?"

"Yeah I do." She replied timidly. She sat down beside him but was hesitant to move closer to him as she was unsure if he was still angry.

Nathan noticed her hesitance and got worried. "Are you scared of me Hales?"

"sometimes." Haley saw the look of hurt and pain cross through his eyes and quickly continued. "I know you'd never intentionally hurt me but I'm scared of who you can be. I'm scared that one day your anger will take over and you won't be able to stop and you'll end up hurting yourself. Today was a stupid fight Nathan but look how angry you got. I don't want you to hurt yourself. I'm scared of what I would do without you. I know you're worried about Rick coming back but its two weeks. I can survive that long, if I know you are okay that is. I'll never be scared of you, my soft caring Nathan, but I'll be scared of the other one who I hoped you had got rid of. I don't want my Nathan to leave me. That's what I'm scared of." Haley now had tears streaming down her cheeks.

Nathan moved closer to her and engulfed her in a hug struggling to hold back his own tears.

"He's gone Hales but sometimes he comes back when he needs to. When you are hurt or sad or in danger he comes back because I need to protect you."

"I know and I love you for that, but as long as you protect my heart I don't need any other protection."

"I love you so much Hales."

"I love you too." She whispered and pulled him in for a slow sensational kiss.

When they pulled apart Haley took Nathans face in her hands. She gently stroked his cheek with her thumb while she looked deeply into his eyes. "You have never failed me". At this comment Nathan tried to look down but Haley used his chin to pull his eyes back to hers. "You, have, never, failed me" she said emphasising each word with a soft but quick kiss. Nathan just silently nodded to show he understood. Haley linked her hands with his and pulled him to his feet.

"Let's get some food, I'm starving."

Nathan slung his arm around her shoulders and she leaned more into his side.

"You promise you'll be safe when I'm gone?" he questioned with a concerned tone.

"I promise." Her voice was assuring.

"Okay, then let's go get Chinese."

"Yay!" she giggled and squeezed Nathans waist.

_God I love this girl /God I love this boy. _

The couple walked their way to the car completely wrapped up in each other and completely oblivious to the pair of eyes watching them from a distance.

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**What did you think?**


	15. Chapter 15

**This is just a filler chapter, I'm working on the next as we speak, Enjoy!**

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Haley and Karen stood at the edge of the street watching the group put their final things into their car. Haley was in a complete daze but was snapped out of it when Nathan put his hands on her shoulders.

"You okay hales?"

"Yeah I'm fine, are you guys all set to go?"

"Yeah, I really wish I didn't have to leave you, although last night was one hell of a goodbye."

"Nathan!" Haley swatted his chest and blushed furiously hoping no one else had heard. Last night had been the night that Nathan and Haley had finally come together again. They spent the night entwined in each other experiencing pure bliss. However that didn't mean she wanted Nathan flaunting that in front of their friends, especially Karen.

"Sorry babe, look I should go, but promise me you will stay safe and call me a lot and won't work too hard."

"I promise. In two weeks' time I will be right next to you. So stop worrying and have a safe journey. Now go." She slapped his but for effect.

"I love you Haley" Nathan said sticking his head out the open window.

Haley walked up to him and gave him a quick kiss. "I love you too."

The car started to drive away and Karen and Haley waved until the car turned the corner.

"Looks like it's just you and me kid." Karen joked trying to cheer up the already down heartened girl.

"Yeah just the two of us. Come on lets go to the café. I could do with some chocolate cake."

"Coming right up" Karen gave Haley a side hug as the two made their way down the street towards the café.

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"Should I call her?"

"No"

"Do you think she's safe?"

"Yes"

"What do you think she's doing right now?"

"We don't know"

"I miss her already"

"We know"

"Her hair was nice today wasn't it?"

"Oh for god's sake Nathan I say this on behalf of everyone in this car SHUT UP!" Brooke yelled from the back seat.

"Hear hear!"

"Sorry I'm probably annoying you guys a little."

"A little? Try a lot, brother"

"Sorry?"

"Hey Nate I have a question!" Brooke piped up. Everyone groaned.

"Yes brookie?" he teased.

"What happened to that Neil guy that came to tree hill with Haley? He's like disappeared of the face of the earth."

"Em Haley said something about his mum being really sick so he's at home. He still calls hales every few nights apparently."

"Okay"

"Why?"

"No reason… Let's play a game!"

Once again the whole car groaned.

"I'm calling Haley"

Another chorus of groans. This was going to be a long journey.

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**Thanks for the reviews! Keep it up!**


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